It has been suggested that the major dimensions of perceived parental rearing behaviour that underlie the EMBU (Emotional Warmth, Rejection and Protection) and the PBI (Care and Protection) may be considered parallel tests of the same constructs. Empirical findings however to back up this allegation are not available. Convergent and divergent validity was therefore assessed in three independent samples: (I)community Ss, (2) unselected psychiatric patients, and (3) eating disordered in-patients and their parents. It was demonstrated in each sample that Emotional Warmth (EMBU) and Care (PBI) are indeed measures of the same construct. Predicted negative correlations between EMBU Rejection and PBI Care were also confirmed. A sizeable overlap was observed between homologous Protection scales. PBI Protection, however, correlated in one out of three samples as high with EMBU Protection as with EMBU Rejection, with these EMBU measures being moderately intercorrelated. It was concluded that EMBU Protection would represent a better measure of its underlying construct than would hold for its PBI equivalent. The strong association between Protection and Rejection was understood in the context of the conceptualization and operational definition of the higher-order Control Attempts concept proposed by Rollins and Thomas (1979). For use in research and in clinical and/or applied practice, the EMBU should be recommended above the PBI. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.